Nokia is to start using Intel chips in its mobile devices, it has been claimed.

Intel is certainly making what it calls a "significant" announcement this afternoon, but Bloomberg said this morning that someone tipped it off that Anand Chandrasekher, the senior VP and General Manager of Intel's Ultra Mobility Group, will say the chip giant is to start selling processors to Nokia.

We'd agree that that is indeed an important announcement, marking a big win for Intel's attempt to offer x86 as an alternative to ARM.

The degree of its significance, however, will depend entirely on what devices Nokia is going to put Intel's chips - Z-series Atoms, presumably - into. And on the timescale it has in mind. The platform isn't yet ready for smartphones, but it may well be next year - that's what Intel hopes, at any rate.

If Nokia's taking Atoms now, it will have to be for handheld internet tablet-like kit, and there's hardy massive demand for that. It's bad news for ARM, but not what you'd call a game-changing move.

But if Nokia's looking at next-gen Atoms, in particular 'Moorestown', that could see it next year offering not only successors to its N810 handheld browsing gadget but also to its N-series smartphones. That would be a big deal. ®